


I'll Be Saving Tears In Jars For This One

by starsngalaxys



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Angst, Brother-Sister Relationships, Canonical Character Death, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Lonnie byers is a terrible human, No one else was gonna write this, Stranger Things 3, no beta we die like men, so i did
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-18
Updated: 2019-08-18
Packaged: 2020-09-06 14:10:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20292757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsngalaxys/pseuds/starsngalaxys
Summary: Jonathan thinks back on his relationship with Jim Hopper, and gians a sister in the process





	I'll Be Saving Tears In Jars For This One

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Stranger Things fic, so they're probably OOC, but who cares  
Title is from Forever My Father by Go Radio

Jonathan watched as Hawkins faded into the distance, along with his home, his friends, and his girlfriend. He looked over to his brother, who was sitting next to him in the RV, and he felt the weight that was settled on his chest grow heavier. He tapped Will on the shoulder, "Hey, I'm gonna go check on El, okay?"

Will gave a brief nod, and Jonathan stood and started towards the back. He saw Jane sitting on the bench, clutching to a piece of paper like her life depended on it. She turned her head and stared at him, tears running down her cheeks.

"Hey."

"Hey."

They didn't say anything else, but El scooted over on the bench to make room for him. He sat down. "Whats that?" He asked, pointing to the letter.

"Its um, it's from Hop."

Jonathan's eyes dropped down do his knees. He still remembered the first time he met the police chief. He was 8, Will was 4. He ran out of the house, avoiding his fathers broken bottles and flying fists. Ran straight into Hopper. He had followed the man around all day, until Hopper got the call from Flo that Joyce Byers was missing her oldest kid.

It was hard to believe he was gone now.

"I miss him."

Jonathan rested his hand on her shoulder. "Me too."

He thought back to when he was sitting in that morgue. He looked like a mess, but he looked better than he had felt. Despair and grief hit him like a truck the night before, and the tears still stung his cheeks. Hopper was there for him with a comforting hand and assuring words.

"He was my dad." El said, staring at the paper with a blank expression. She looked at him. "Was he like your dad too?"

He felt like he was 8 again, like a he had been slapped across the face. Was he? He sure was more of a dad than Lonnie had been. In fact, Hopper had been the one to tackle his drunken father to the ground and drag him out of the house when Jonathan was 14. He had been the one to tell him to stay and help Joyce in those terrible days following Will's dissapearince. He had been the one who listened about the Demagorgan, and to help his family when Will was possessed by that thing.

"Yeah El, I guess he was."

She looked like she was thinking for a moment. "Does that make you my brother?"

"Only if you want me to be."

She looked lost in thought again, before she grabbed his hand and said, "Brother is good."

"Yeah, brother is good."


End file.
